Soundtrack of 2012

I may have a tie on my hands. Forget about a top 5 list. There were a few honorable mentions, but nothing else new in 2012 approaches these two albums in my mind.

A man & his violin.
If I were to go on iTunes counts alone Kishi Bashi would hands down win my favorite album of the year with 151a. NPR has given him plenty of love, and even if you haven’t heard his name, you might recognize a few songs that have been used in commercials from some mega-brands.

During his show in the intimate Joyful Noise Recordings space in the Murphy Building I could only think how sorry I was for all of the people who weren’t there to experience it. This man gives new meaning to the one man band.

Then there’s Hospitality.
My music picks last year almost all had a harder edge. This namesake album may sound light and breezy, but the lyrics are a perfect twisted balance. I can listen to this album pretty endlessly, and it’s become one of my go-to picks when I really need to get work done.

What were your top pick(s) of 2012? It’s about time for a music shopping spree, so keep ’em coming!

This post is part of Think Kit by SmallBox
I wrote To Freedom and Health! about today’s official prompt on the SmallBox blog, and so I chose one of the lifeline prompts for today’s Think Kit. “What band new or old did you discover this year?”